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Now proven against coronavirus, mRNA can do so much more
When the final Phase 3 data came out last November showing the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were more than 90% effective, Dr. Anthony Fauci had no words. He texted smiley face emojis to a journalist seeking his reaction.
This astonishing efficacy has held up in real-world studies in the US, Israel and elsewhere. The mRNA technology -- developed for its speed and flexibility as opposed to expectations it would provide strong protection against an infectious disease -- has pleased and astonished even those who already advocated for it.
The messenger RNA, or mRNA, platform may be new to the global public, but it's a technology that researchers had been betting on for decades. Now those bets are paying off, and not just by turning back a pandemic that killed millions in just a year.
This approach that led to remarkably safe and effective vaccines against a new virus is also showing promise against old enemies such as HIV, and infections that threaten babies and young children, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and metapneumovirus. It's being tested as a treatment for cancers, including melanoma and brain tumors. It might offer a new way to treat autoimmune diseases. And it's also being checked out as a possible alternative to gene therapy for intractable conditions such as sickle cell disease.
The story of mRNA vaccines dates back to the early 1990s, when Hungarian-born researcher Katalin Kariko of the University of Pennsylvania started testing mRNA technology as a form of gene therapy. The idea is similar whether scientists want to use the mRNA molecule to cure disease or prevent it; send instructions to the cells of the body to make something specific.
Kariko was unable to drum up much interest in this idea for years. But for the past 15 years or so, she's teamed up with Dr. Drew Weissman, an infectious disease expert at Penn Medicine, to apply mRNA technology to vaccines. Since scientists started focusing on the threat of a pandemic caused by a new influenza or coronavirus, they've recognized the promise of mRNA vaccines for quickly turning around a pandemic vaccine.
"If you want to make a new influenza vaccine using the traditional methods, you have to isolate the virus, learn how to grow it, learn how to inactivate it, and purify it. That takes months. With RNA, you only need the sequence," Weissman told CNN.
Researchers like to use a cookbook analogy. The body's DNA is the cookbook. Messenger RNA is a copy of the recipe -- one that disappears quickly. In the case of genetic disease, it can be used to instruct cells to make a healthy copy of a protein. In the case of mRNA vaccines, it's used to tell cells to make what looks like a piece of virus, so the body produces antibodies and special immune system cells in response.
The recipe disappears while the cooked product -- the body's immune response -- lasts.
Other potential vaccines include malaria, tuberculosis and rare viruses such as Nipah virus, Weissman said -- all made more possible by the mRNA technology. Effective vaccines against these infections have eluded scientists for various reasons.
The mRNA approach might also work against some tickborne diseases, Weissman said.
Corona has been defeated. It's over. For those of you that haven't done so yet...burn your masks. Feel free to cough in public. It's over. I'd also like to send out a big Thank You to the USA for playing a lead role in defeating the virus. The USA is simply amazing.
Canada recommends mixing and matching AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines
Canada is changing its guidelines on mixing and matching second doses of COVID-19 vaccines and is now advising Canadians to combine either the AstraZeneca-Oxford, Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots interchangeably in certain situations.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) updated its guidance to provinces and territories Tuesday and recommended that a first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine can be followed by either Moderna or Pfizer.
For Canadians who have had a first dose of Moderna or Pfizer, NACI recommends they can now take either of the two shots as a second dose — because they both use a similar mRNA technology — if the same first dose is unavailable or unknown.
... my first shot was AZ and I am scheduled for my second shot Aug 11. With the new guidance I can probably get a second shot of Pfizer or Moderna shot later this month.
Yep thank you President BIDEN and the New AdministrationOriginally Posted by BillyCarpenter
Glad you agree
Biden? What did the Biden administration do? Nothing, nilch, nada other than continue the distribution plan already in place. It was the Trump administration that got operation Warp Speed off the ground and developed a vaccine in 9 months not Biden. Typical liberal, take credit for work done by someone else! If you think Biden had anything to do with getting a vaccine to the people you are drinking spiked cool aid.Yep thank you President BIDEN and the New Administration
Glad you agree
President Joe Biden signed 10 executive actions aimed at improving the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, jump-starting the president’s ambitious plan to bring the current surge of cases under control and administer 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days.
Biden directed federal agencies to use “all available legal authorities” to combat supply chain shortages, including invoking the Defense Production Act, which can ramp up production of supplies like personal protective equipment, testing kits and syringes for vaccinations.
He established a pandemic testing board to increase testing capacity and a Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force to fix imbalances in the populations who are getting vaccinated, and directed federal agencies to accelerate the development of new Covid-19 treatments.
An executive order mandates face masks on interstate public transportation like airplanes and trains, as well as in airports, and requires international travelers to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test to enter the country.
Biden increased state reimbursements for the National Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including having FEMA reimburse schools for coronavirus-related expenses like cleaning and PPE, and took action to improve how public health data is collected.
Biden issued a national security directive aimed at working with global partners on Covid-19, including the World Health Organization (WHO).
Biden directed the federal education and health departments to establish guidelines for safely reopening schools, and ordered new guidelines around workplace safety and directed federal agencies to “explore mechanisms” to better protect workers from Covid-19.
Biden passed into law the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus legislation.
Uh huh. Biden has signed a lot of shit. For instance, he signed an executive order on Cyber Security. However, the USA has been attacked worse under his leadership than any other.
Stop being a cheerleader and step into reality.
Ditto Congratulations President Biden and the Covid19 team.
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